Archive

Tag Archive for: knitting

Urban

I realise that I haven’t christened the new blog with my own knitting yet so here’s a sample of what I’ve been finishing off. As always, I have tons on the needles but getting something finished is always a good reason to blog. This was a heavily modified knit that I really enjoyed and think I’ll get a lot of wear out of.

The pattern is a Veera Valimaki design called Urban which she published in her recent collection called ‘Modern Times’. It’s a really stylish, simple garment that is worked from top down in one piece and calls for fingering weight yarn. I decided to change mine up and I’m so pleased with the result.

First of all, I worked the garment in Malabrigo Lace which is a lot lighter than the recommended yarn but blocks like a dream. The colourway here is a stunning blue called ‘Tuareg’ that I know will match lots of my wardrobe so I can layer this peice over and over again. I also opted for ‘raw’ edges and omitted the seed stitch to encourage the curl. I love the effect and I didn’t include buttons or the v shaped back either to keep things simple. You can see more pictures on my FO page here.

FO Parade: Occitan

To celebrate the success of the collaboration kits, I’m going to make this month’s FO parade all about the first kit: Occitan. There’s some beautiful FO’s starting to appear on Ravelry so please do go and check them out here.First up is Knitizanne‘s version of the Occitan shawl, knit with the Orion colourway. Knitizanne said she liked both the shaping and as well as the overall shape of this shawl because it goes beyond a semicircle so there’s a nice curve around the neck. She also loved this yarn and especially the colour, which she felt works beautifully with this pattern. It’s a stunning version of the shawl and it’s so pleasing to hear that she enjoyed the kit.This delicate and feminine version of the shawl was knit by Marielol using the tea smoked colourway. I love the contrast between the soft pink and flecks of this shawl compared to the striking blue of the last project. It’s amazing how the same yarn base (Posh Fingering) and pattern can produce such different outcomes for different knitters. It’s what keeps us all knitting I’m sure!CatReading was one of our test knitters for the shawl and I think you’ll agree that she did a stellar job working this up for us. Working the pattern in Silky Merino Fingering gives another idea for bases in this pattern to try out. The colourway used here is ‘Ripe Plum’ which is warm and very versatile. It’s always so exciting to see new test knits and Cat always does a lovely job with hers.Another ultra feminine version of the shawl has been completed by Lililana in the ‘Into Dust’ colourway. There is something about the way this picture is composed that really shows off the shawl and yarn combination. I absolutely love it!Sabinaknits completed an extra special version of the Occitan when she helped out with test knitting. This version is knit up with BFL Sock which gives a crisper, more defined stitch definition to the finished object. Using the Nutcracker colourway also makes it a stunning peice for Autumn and it’s so different once again from the other versions already shown.

Once again a huge thank you to all the knitters who let us share their fantastic work. Remember to share your wonderful TUT knits with the group so we can feature you too!

Green River Shawl

One of the nicest things about the TUT Ravelry group is when regular members who have been so supportive of my yarns publish a pattern. It’s so nice to see my yarns helping to create inspiration in designers and being able to share their talents here on the blog. Maanel has been a regular in the group, sharing her many wonderful projects and so when she published this design, I asked instantly if we could share it as it’s truly beautiful.

The Green River Shawl is a top-down triangle shawl with two edge stitches and a 1 stitch center spine. The increases are worked four at a time on every RS row so this is a quick and easy to memorize knit. The construction makes the lace easy to read and the motif is simple enough that I’d say this would be good for adventurous beginner’s to dive into the world of lace. I think the lace detail is charming.

(c) Maanel

The shawl is worked in Super Sock, a super soft 2ply yarn that can be worn right next to the skin. It has a high twist and lovely texture. Although I recommend hand-washing to prolong the life of your knits, this yarn may be machine washed on a gentle wool cycle, then laid flat to dry so it would be a hardy accessory that could be worn time and time again easily. The colour of the sample is called ‘Dartmoor’ a deep and luscious green but I can imagine this in lots of different colours due to its’ striking motif.

Weld

A few months ago, I was part of a swap and was lucky enough to have designer Meghan Jackson aka Butterfly Knits, as my swap partner. Not only was I spoilt with goodies but I also received a summery shawl of her own design. I insisted that when she released the pattern, she should let me know so I could share the details here.

(c) Meghan Jackson

Weld is a customizable shawl by knitting as many or as few repeats of the main body as you like. The size of shawl may also vary with how severely the project is blocked. Due to the flexible nature of the design, this pattern would look great in fingering or DK weight yarns as well. Meghan used TUT’s Silky Alpaca Sport in the Brassica colourway and includes this note on her pattern page about this source of inspiration:

From the Brassica family of plants, weld has been used throughout history as a natural yellow dye. Inspired by the Brassica colour of a gorgeous skein of The Uncommon Thread Silky Alpaca yarn, Weld is a textured and lace one-skein crescent shaped shawlette knit from the top down.

(c) Meghan Jackson

This base is exclusive to Tangled Yarn, one of our fabulous stockists so to get your hands on a skein, please visit their website here. For more options, of different TUT yarns, please visit the yarn page to start plotting your new shawl!

Blight

For those of you who love lace, shawls and delicate accessories, you’re going to love this new pattern. Designed by Deborah Frank who designs and publishes patterns under the title ‘Oblivious Knits’, Blight is a beautiful shawl featuring TUT as a recommended yarn.

(c) Obliviousknits

Blight is a triangular lace shawl, knit from the center top down to the bottom edges. It uses one skein of fingering weight yarn, but could easily be made larger by working more repeats of the charts, although additional yarn will be necessary. The size can also be increased by changing needle/ yarn size.

The pattern calls for a skein of Heavenly Fingering, a delicious base that is perfect for such a luxurious knit. Each skein is approx 100g of fingering weight yarn that blends 70% Baby Alpaca, 20% Silk and 10% Cashmere. Supremely soft, it has a slight shine and takes dye beautifully. It has lovely drape, making it perfect for shawls. The sample is shown here in Nimbostratus.

Kicking Us Off in Style: Lisa Mutch

The TUT blog website is now fully functional and the blog is in its new home. Please update your RSS feed because from now on, we’ll be hosting all our latest news and fun here. Stay tuned for more knitting, more yarn, more food, and more travels.

In the meantime, here’s the beautiful Obsidian that I have just released kits for. The collaborations with designers has proved very popular so I wanted to repost this lovely interview with Lisa, the creator of Obisidian. Lisa is a distinctive designer who works hard to make clean lines, simple shapes and stunning hand dyes work up into moody designs and satisfying accessories to both knit and wear. I invited Lisa to answer some questions for the blog so that you can get to know her a little better. Here’s what she had to say:

The stage is yours, tell us a little about yourself!

Well, besides knitting, dyeing, designing and spinning, I’m a mom to two wonderful and very active children, Brooklyn, 7 and Brodie, 3. I also love reading, vegetable gardening, red wine and bubble baths.

What’s your knitting journey so far?

My knitting journey began roughly 10 years ago when I quit smoking and decided knitting would be a great way to occupy my hands. I bought ‘How to Knit’ by Debbie Bliss, a set of needles and some terrible acrylic yarn and taught myself how to knit. My specialty was scarves, or really anything rectangular or square with absolutely no shaping until I stumbled upon the Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s blog. Reading her hilarious stories about knitting disasters gave me the motivation to teach myself a few crucial knitting skills allowing me to graduate to hats, socks, shawls and eventually sweaters.

How did you start designing and what is your favourite part of the process?

I began designing very quickly after teaching myself to knit. I never seemed to have the right size needles or weight of yarn and I could never, ever get the correct gauge. (Which continues to be a problem for me to this day, I’m a notoriously loose knitter. Ahem.) So I started making up things as I went along with what I had.

Was there a particular inspiration for this design?

I love garter stich at a loose gauge, it has such a wonderful texture and I’ve always wanted a sweater with a giant cowl neck so this idea of mine has been brewing for a while now. Ce’s BFL Sock is such a wonderful yarn for sweaters, being tough and resilient yet soft enough for next to skin wear. I’ve used this base before for sweaters, cowls and shawls and it’s one of my all-time favourites, especially in the ‘Charred’ colourway…..so dark and mysterious!

What drew you to working with TUT yarns and a collaboration?

Ce and I met on Ravelry a few years ago and since day one, I’ve adored her gorgeous yarn. I very quickly acquired quite the collection of TUT yarns and have tried almost all of her fabulous bases. My favourite colourways are all of her wonderful, smokey greys and charcoals, her warm neutrals and of course, I love to sneak in a bit of Debauchery here and there.

What else can we look forward to from you in the future?

I have so many ideas for new designs, if only I could knit as fast as my mind dreams them up! I’ve been swatching with some heavier weight bases lately for a few squishy, warm winter garments, and of course, more shawls, cowls and scarves. It seems like I can’t leave the house without something handknit and fabulous around my neck.

A huge thank you to Lisa for supplying such lovely answers that shows her gentle and warm nature. If you would like to purchase your own Obsidian yarn and pattern kit, check out the Ravelry Group News thread for regular update news or please sign up to the newsletter.